Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-03-23
INTERSTATE COMMERCE..
The Commissioners Appointed BY Pres.
ldent tCleveland-A Sketch OF the Lives
Of the Men.
WAsB1ssros. March %

WASHINGTON, March 90.
The President has appointed the followinl
as Interstate commerce commissioners:
Thomas NJ. Cooley of Michigan, for ,
term of six years.
William R. Morrison of Illinois, for term
of five wears.
Augustus Shoemaker of New York for .
term of four years.
Aldace F. Walker of Vermont, for a term
of three years.
Walter A. Bragg of Alabama, for a term
of two years.
The fact that Mr.. Cooley's name heads the
list does not necessarily denote that he is to
be chairman of the committee. az it mus,
elect its own chairman. The following is a
sketch of the public careers of the men com.
prising the committee, except ex-Representa
tive Morrison, whose public services are ga
generally known as to need no description
Thomas NJ. Cooley was born in Attica, N.
Y, in 1924: studied law in that State and
removed to Michigan in 1913, where he has
since resided. In 1857 he was elected com.
piler of State law and in 1858 reporter of the
supreme court In 1859 he was chosen com
missioner to organize the law department of
the University of Michigan, and he has ever
since been connected with it. In 1864 he
was elected justice of the supreme court and
was Reelected in 1869 and in 1877. He was
nominated by the republicans for reelection
in 1885 and was defeated. Mr.. Cooley is the
author of numerous standard legal works
He was recently appointed by United States
Judge Gresham receiver of the Wabash Rail
road Co.
Aldace T. Walker is a Vermont lawyer
about ~ years old, a republican, studied law
with Senator Edmunds, served as colonel in
the Union army, and has since been prac-
ticing law at Rutland. In the Vermont SEN
ate he has taken a leading part in framing
legislation to solve the railway problem and
had given much study to the question.
Augustus Schoonmaker of Kingston, N.
Y, was born in Ulster county, N. Y, March
2, 1928, and is a laAyer in active practice.
He has always been a democrat He has
been county judge of his county and candi
date of his party for the supreme court. He
was State senator during Gov. Tilden's term
as governor and was one of the leaders of
the legislature on whom Mr.. Tiden relied to
carry out his reform measures. He WAS al
ways close personal political friend of Mr.
Tilden.
Mr.. Schoonmaker was attorney general of
New York State in 1877 and 1879, succeed
ing Mr.. Fairchild, the present acting secre-
tary of the treasury. In 1876 he was
presented by the nti-Tammany delegation of
New York in the democratic State conven-
ton as their candidate for Governor. He
was delegate to the democratic national
conven ion in 1876 and 1880 and also to the
Chicago convention in 1884.
Walter l.. Bragg was born in Alabama in
1888 but resided in Arkansas from lS43 unii
1861. He was educatad at Hsrvard's Uni
versity at Cambridge and practiceG law in
Arkansas for some years. At the close of
the war he settled in Alabama and was for
some years law partner of Gen. Morgan,
He has been a leading democrat in that State
for some years and has served AS national
delegate, Presidential elector and member OF
the democratic national committee. In 1881
he was made President of the Alabama State
railroad committee and served in that position
four years.